Our Moment of Discontent
by Kyra Rivers
Summary: And there stood Mai Tokiha, looking lost beside the vending machines. [hints of AkiraxTakumi, spoilers for episode 16 and up]


**Title: **Our Moment of Discontent

**Summary:** And there stood Mai Tokiha, looking lost beside the vending machines. (AkiraxTakumi hints, spoilers for episode 16 and up)

**Rating: **PG

**Notes:** This is just a short story I did, thinking about Mai and Akira at the hospital. I found it kind of interesting that of the two, Mai went home while Akira stayed at the hospital with Takumi. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that something had to have occured between the two of them to come to that agreement -- and perhaps it didn't go exactly like this, but I think at least that Mai and Akira had to have come to some kind of realization. Annnnnd so here it is.

* * *

**Our Moment of Discontent**

She had stepped out for a moment, leaving Takumi to smile vaguely through the medication and wave a weak hand. She used the bathroom as an excuse, but Akira was sure neither of them believed that; it was the hospital and it's disturbing whiteness, Takumi and his frighten sickness, all of it combined. Akira wasn't used to it. She needed to break off, if only for a moment, to collect her thoughts.

So she left and spent about five minutes walking around outside, before coming back in. She did wind up going to the bathroom -- and public restrooms were always an interesting treat, but that was an issue for later times --, and decided, eventually, that perhaps she was overreacting to it all. Takumi would be fine in America; he would get his surgery and come back, and then it would just just like it always had been, warm and pleasant and only a little bit awkward. Well, if she didn't die first, of course. The HiME carnival was something Akira was trying her best to ignore for as long as possible, and it didn't help any to fret on it too much. So in the end, she made her way back to the room, twisting through the bleached halls to make it back to their own designated corner of white.

And there stood Mai Tokiha, looking lost beside the vending machines.

Akira didn't feel quite right just leaving her there; they were both in the hospital for the same reason, after all, and Mai was certainly shocked to the core by Takumi's statement. The two siblings had seemed so close from Akira's standpoint, and she worried if Mai thought she was to blame. Akira didn't particularly want to make an enemy out of a fellow HiME, all things considered, even if she was the only one who knew about that.

So she called out, "Are you lost, Mai?"

It took awhile for Mai to look up, eyes pulling away from their intent study on the pop machine. Blinking, Mai asked, "What?"

"Takumi's room is back this way," Akira said, suddenly very aware that Takumi wasn't there. She had never spoken to Mai without Takumi around, and always then as an add-on, the extra in a cast of two. To Mai, Akira was really nothing more than Takumi's roommate-turned-best friend, who happened to follow her little brother around everywhere. Yes, this was awkward.

"Hmm," Mai said, looking back down at the machine in front of her. She shifted her weight onto another leg, murmuring, "Am I lost, Akira...?"

Akira frowned. "Excuse me?"

Mai didn't answer her for a long while, shifting her gaze from the machine to the floor. A faint smile quirked on her lips even as her hand rose to knead on the opposite upper arm. Akira waited, resisting the urge to fidget nervously; most of her desperately wanted to dart for sanctuary in Takumi's room, hide behind his pleasant conversation and easy personality. Mai was such a puzzle, even compared to how complex her little brother was. Akira had never been so thrown off by anyone before the pair of them, and while she could talk with Takumi now, it had taken awhile, and she had never put the same amount of time into Mai.

Finally Mai looked up and over, staring Akira straight in the eyes.

"I know, Akira," Mai said quietly, looking resigned.

Every muscle in Akira's body seemed to tense for a brief second before she forced them down; in the end, all she did was narrow her eyes in confusion. "You know what, Mai?"

Some instinct made her lower her voice a bit, to sound extra masculine, but Akira quelled the worry. Mai couldn't know. It was one thing for Takumi to know -- he wouldn't tell anyone, Akira knew he wouldn't; he hadn't even told Mai, he had promised -- but Mai was a HiME. A HiME would probably wouldn't attack her, but there was no taking chances.

"What you are," Mai said, oblivious to Akira's internal fretting. Akira's eyes went wide despite herself, and Mai exhaled, forcing a smile of forced comfort. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. Or, y'know, attack you or anything. I want everyone to stop fighting, personally."

Akira stared, remaining tense despite Mai's words of reassurance.

"Unless you're the one whose been attacking me...?" Mai asked, tone light with the faintest touch of suspicion.

"No," Akira replied immediately, perfectly coherent despite the miniature panic attack. "No," she repeated, "I haven't attacked anyone. You're the only one who even knows, besides..." She trailed off, not sure how Mai might take it if she knew her little brother was keeping even more things from her.

"I know Takumi knows," Mai said, and she turned to lean against the vending machine, sighing fully. "Forgive me, but Mikoto and I overheard you two talking. And -- well, you summoned something, so we presumed."

"Mikoto knows, too?" Akira asked quietly.

"Don't worry, she's not going to attack you either," Mai said. A flash of bitterness erupted in her eyes, and she softly added, "Unless you attack me or something, but from what I can tell, that would sort of defeat the purpose, don't you think?"

It took Akira a moment to understand Mai's point, and when she did, she flushed hotly. Sputtering, Akira replied, "That's-- you're assuming too much, Mai!"

Mai's smile faltered, and Akira could abruptly see the worry etched there plain as day. She looked up at Akira with pained eyes, asking, "Am I, Akira?" She laughed, a short, callous sort, and tried without success to smile. "I would love it, really, if I was wrong. I think I might have run or something... just taken Takumi and run away to America. Run away from all of this chaos, this stupidity that's threatening to boil over..." She shook her head and looked down, shoulders shaking slightly. "Mikoto ran away, y'know? Just cried and ran away, because of me... because of everything..."

Akira watched Mai in silence, waiting anxiously for the moment that this overtook her. She didn't want to hug her or anything like that, but vaguely Akira wondered if she should pat her on the back or something. Mai was so much more involved in this entire situation than Akira was, and it was clear that it was slowly tearing the older girl apart.

"I wonder," Mai said after a pause. "I wonder if someone can be the most precious person of two people." She looked over at Akira, eyes connecting in a telling moment, and continued, "I wonder how that works, if only one person is supposed to remain standing in the end."

Mai dropped off, breaking the gaze to stare over at the wall in silence. Akira stared at the older girl after she finished talking, unwilling to fully accept what Mai had said. For Takumi to be the most important person to both of them... it twisted the entire carnival into infinite levels of complicated. And Akira wasn't even sure if he was her most important person; Akira loved other people just as much, her father, her brothers, her uncle -- all of those people were truly close to Akira's heart, as they had always been.

But somehow, Akira knew that Mai was right. Something in the way her heart hurt just so, right at that very moment when they were discussing their inevitable destinies -- Akira knew Mai was right.

She sighed deeply, drawing Mai's attention away from the wall. Meeting eyes yet again, Akira shrugged slightly. "Well," she said helplessly, "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

Mai just stared, eyes dull.

"I'll stay with Takumi tonight," Akira offered, desperate to drag the conversation elsewhere. "If you want to find Mikoto, I mean."

After a moment, Mai nodded, replying, "Thank you." She swallowed and set her jaw tightly, eyes downcast.

"I'll take care of him, Mai," Akira promised. "As best I can."

Mai nodded again, and smiled up at Akira, eyes steady. "I'll hold you to that, then."


End file.
